Facebook keeps evolving — but so do privacy risks.
In 2025, Meta rolled out new updates that give users more control over their data, yet most people still don’t take advantage of them. From location sharing to ad personalization, a few overlooked settings can expose your private information to the wrong audience.
This post walks you through critical Facebook privacy settings every user should review and change immediately to stay safe, secure, and in control of what they share online.
1. Review Your Profile Information
Your profile is often the first thing hackers or scammers look at.
Go to Profile → Edit Details and check what’s visible.
Change or hide these items:
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Phone number → Set to Only Me
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Email address → Only Me
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Workplace, Education, or Location → Friends only
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Birthday → Friends only or hide entirely
These small changes can stop identity theft and cloning attempts before they start.
2. Turn Off Location Tracking
Facebook tracks your location for “better recommendations,” but it can also reveal where you live or visit frequently.
To disable:
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Go to Settings → Location → Location Services.
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Turn Location Access off.
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In your phone settings, disable “Allow background location access” for Facebook.
3. Adjust Ad Preferences
Facebook’s algorithm uses your browsing activity to show targeted ads.
To stop unnecessary tracking:
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Go to Settings → Ads → Ad Preferences.
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Tap Ad Topics → Limit categories you don’t want.
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Under Data About Your Activity from Partners, disable all toggles.
This prevents Facebook from tracking your activity across websites and apps.
4. Limit Profile Search Visibility
Stop strangers from finding your profile through search engines:
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Go to Settings → Privacy → How People Find and Contact You.
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Turn off “Allow search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile.”
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Change “Who can look you up using your phone or email?” to Only Me.
Your account becomes instantly harder for bots and spammers to locate.
5. Manage Face Recognition
Meta uses face recognition for tagging and suggestions — but it’s optional.
If you value privacy:
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Go to Settings → Face Recognition.
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Select No, don’t allow Facebook to recognize me in photos and videos.
This stops Facebook from scanning your images across its platform.
6. Strengthen Your Login Security
Even the best privacy settings fail if your account gets hacked.
To protect your login:
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Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) under Settings → Security and Login.
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Add an authenticator app instead of SMS (more secure).
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Set up trusted contacts who can help you recover access if locked out.
7. Control Tagging and Mentions
You might not want to appear in every tag your friends make.
Go to Settings → Profile and Tagging and:
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Turn on Review tags people add to your posts before they appear.
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Turn on Review posts you’re tagged in before they appear on your timeline.
Now, you approve everything before it’s visible.
8. Check Your App Permissions
Apps connected to your Facebook can leak personal data.
Visit Settings → Apps and Websites.
Remove any games, giveaways, or login tools you no longer use — especially those older than a year.
9. Adjust Story and Reels Visibility
Stories and Reels often default to Public.
Go to Settings → Stories and Reels → Audience.
Choose Friends or Custom audience to avoid unwanted viewers.
10. Limit “Who Can See You Online”
To stay private while using Messenger:
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Open Messenger → Settings → Active Status.
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Toggle off Show when you’re active.
Now you can browse quietly without appearing online.
Relevant Internal Links
Conclusion
Privacy is power — and on Facebook, it’s a choice.
Most users lose control of their accounts not because of hacks, but because of negligent settings.
By following these privacy tweaks, you’ll reduce data exposure, prevent scams, and maintain full control of what Facebook knows and shares about you.
Stay informed, stay secure — your privacy deserves it.
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